John Peel’s record collection: First 100 titles in ‘A’ section now online for browsing

The process of putting the late John Peel’s legendary record collection — reportedly numbering 26,000 LPs, 40,000 7-inches and “many thousands of” CDs — online has begun, with the first 100 titles in his ‘A’ section debuting today at The Space. Each week through Oct. 1, the first 100 titles under each letter of the alphabet will join the site.

As his widow Sheila Ravenscroft explains in a short introductory video, Peel was a meticulous cataloger, manually typing index cards for each release. When browsing the “A” section at The Space, each title brings up Peel’s index card, the record’s cover and, when possible, a link to stream the record at Spotify. The site is not hosting actual audio from the recordings.

The selection so far begins with the 1979 debut from The A’s — naturally — and ends with what looks to be a bootleg Adam & The Ants LP. In between, you’ll find records by ABBA, a-ha, Roy Acuff, AC/DC, A.R. Kane and more. Plus, more titles will be added on the first of each month.

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2 Comments

Love the concept of the JP record collection. Despise that it’s in Flash. Too inaccessible. Slow, clunky, pretentious. Sorry, but to be useful this would be better executed HTML and CSS instead of like some contemporary art project. They could offer a check-off list people can download. Provide iTunes and Amazon links to buy albums and songs.